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Im glad u posted that pic From this movie, i been studying about crucifiction under the romans and would like to share this with u...... Preparations for the scourging are carried out. The prisoner is stripped
of His clothing and His hands are tied to a post above His head. It is
doubtful whether the Romans made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in
this matter of scourging. The Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more
than forty lashes. The Pharisees, always making sure that the law was
strictly kept, insisted that only thirty-nine lashes be given. (In case
of a miscount, they were sure of remaining within the law.) The Roman
legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand.
This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two
small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.

The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across
Jesus shoulders, back and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the
skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they are cut deeper into the
subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the
capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding
from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first
produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows.
Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire
area is an unrecognizable mass of torn bleeding tissue. When it is
determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the
beating is finally stopped.

The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone
pavement, wet with Hiw own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in
this provincial Jew claiming to be a king. They throw a robe across His
shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a
crown to make their travesty complete. A small bundle of flexible
branches covered with long thorns (commonly used for firewood) are plaited
into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there
is copious bleeding (the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the
body.) After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers
take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the
thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport
and the robe is torn from His back. This had already become adherent to
the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, and its removal, just as in
the careless removal of a surgical bandage, causes exruciating
pain...almost as though He were again being whipped - and the wounds again
begin to bleed.

In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy
patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders and the procession of
the condemned Christ, two thieves and the execution detail of the Roman
soldiers, headed by a centurion, begins its slow journey along the Via
Dolorosa. In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy
wooden cross together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is
too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into
the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. he tries to rise, but
human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion,
anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African
onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still
bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock. The 650 yard
journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha is finally completed. The
prisoner is again stripped of His clothes - except for a loin cloth which
is allowed the Jews.

The crucifixion begins, Jesus is offered wine mixed with Myrrh, a mild
analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the
cross on the ground and Jesus is quickly thrown backward with His
shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at
the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail
through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other
side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too
tightly, but to allow some flexibility and movement. The patibulum is
then lifted in place at the top of the stipes and the titulus reading
Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews is nailed in place.

The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both
feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each,
leaving the knees moderately flexed. The victim is now crucified. As He
slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists,
excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to
explode in the brain - the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the
median nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this wrenching
torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again
there is the searing agony of the the tearing through the nerves between
the metatarsal bones of the feet.

At this point, another phenomenon occurs. As the arms fatigue, great
waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless,
throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself
upward. Hanging by His arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the
intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs,
but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even
one short breath. Finally carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in
the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is
able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.

The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each.

The Roman lash was often more like a cat of nine tails - a handle with multiple whips. The whips themselves might have chunks of bone, metal and glass tied into the cords. An expert with such a device could remove most of the flesh from a man's back in a single stroke and pull. I am told that most did not survive the thirty nine lashes. That is not hard to imagine between the shock, blood loss and the damage to vital internal organs. The pain would be unimaginable to most of us. The fact that Jesus survived to carry His cross at all was a miracle.

There is one other bit of information the soldier handling the whip was looking for during the scourging. He would listen for the convicted criminal to name his accomplices. If names were named, the soldier or soldiers would lighten up on the lashes. If the prisoner refused to speak, the lash would be laid on heavier and heavier. Jesus had no accomplices, but He was covering for someone. It was you and me. He could have said, "Mike did it! It wasn't me!". He would have been absolutely right in making that statement. But His love for us held His tongue and He endured the beating in silence.

The punishment Jesus endured should have been yours and mine. Spiritually we were dead. We could not help ourselves. We could not even ask for help. The sin nature we inherited from Adam and Eve separated us from God. The punishment for sin had to be paid and we could never have finished paying the debt. As we continue the walk to the cross, we will see more of how that price was paid on our behalf.